A man who had an enormous influence on my thinking early in my theological education was Reinhold Niebuhr. There is a link to more information about him in the text of this week’s Ordinary Life talk. I hope you take the time to read it. Although not many people are aware of this, he is the author of what AA has made popular, the Serenity Prayer. One of the places where serenity is desirable is in the various communities in which we live - from the small units of our families all the way through and up to our global community. It is so easy to be reactive, judgmental and divisive.

The wise ones across the ages have taught that the judging that leads to excluding some from the human community is, in the long-run, not useful for anyone. This is not, of course, to say that we do not need to protect ourselves and others from those intent on doing harm. It does mean that there is deep wisdom in practicing tolerance and community among the peoples of the earth. Besides, most of people don’t see things as they are. They see things as “they” are. Our task, if we are committed to growth is to ask in every situation that arises, “How can we find our own wisdom, skill, kindness, compassion and even sense of humor in this situation?"

That is the gist of the talk offered in Ordinary Life this week. You’ll find the text of the talk, the presentation slides and audio version on the Ordinary Life website.